Staying Awake without Caffeine

Let's not forget the two additional coffees in between, which every coffeeholic is less than willing to share. The decadent taste of coffee reaches our lips and rushes into our bodies, giving us limited spikes of alertness that start to wear off only hours after we've consumed it. However, in the American Chemical Society’s latest Reactions video, “How to Stay Awake (Without Caffeine),” chemists suggest we can boost our body’s energy levels well into the work day by watching funny cat videos and singing and dancing to music.

Viral cat videos not only bring us much needed comedic relief from our monotonous work routine, but they also boost our mood. From Lil Bub to Grumpy Cat, watching these Internet sensations can boost our energy and positive emotions while decreasing negative feelings, according to a recent study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. Oxytocin and cortisol are both hormones that influence our body’s physiological response to emotion. While it influences positive feelings of trust and connection, cortisol influences our stress levels.

An unexpected but attainable source fuel for the body is none other than water. Getting insufficient amounts of water during the day can lead to dehydration, which subsequently leads to fatigue and more serious symptoms, like confusion, heart palpitations, and fainting. It’s especially important to stay hydrated because “the adult human body is 50 to 65 percent water. We typically start to get thirsty when we have lost two to three percent of our body's water,” according to the American Chemical Society.

Unsurprising energy boosts include listening, singing, and dancing, which results from music's ability to produce endorphins, leaving people feeling happier and energized. Other pleasure circuits triggered by music release oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. If you avoid dancing in the dark, and opt for dancing in broad daylight or under bright lights, you'll also boost your alertness. Bright lights activate the neurons in the hypothalamus that release a neurotransmitter called hypocretin, which helps us stay awake and alert during the day.

So, avoid the coffee refills and boost your mood with these four science-backed ways to beat the afternoon slump at work.

Yes. Laughter and movement are two great energy boosters. There are also little self massage techniques which can significantly raise ones energy, I like to sing, "I'm alive, alert, and enthusiastic" while I do the massage while moving. Works every time,